Towering above the competition: North America's tallest hotel offers New York tourists a room with a breathtaking view

When a building is declared the tallest in the world, Europe or even just its home country it usually doesn’t keep its crown for long. London’s The Shard was the loftiest building in Europe for a matter of months, having been over-shadowed by Moscow’s Mercury City in November last year. In turn, the 75-storey Russian skyscraper is set to be dwarfed by the city’s Federation Tower when it is completed in 2015.

It may not be wise to splash out on an expensive plaque, but New York’s recently-opened Courtyard-Residence Inn hotel is, for now, officially the tallest hotel in northern America - no mean feat in a city famous for its towering skyscrapers.

At almost 753 feet, the hotel has stolen the title from Detroit’s 727 feet tall Renaissance Center. (The world's tallest hotel - the JW Marriott Marquis in Dubai - dwarves them both at 1,164 feet.)

Perfect spot: The sleek, mirrored-glass building is a short stroll from the bright light of Times Square

The hotel’s owner Harry Gross insisted that he didn’t set out to be the biggest – he simply asked architect firm Nobutaka Ashihara Associates to build as many floors as possible in the 10,000 sq ft space on the corner of Broadway and 54th Street.

Intentional or not, the ‘tallest’ title and accompanying images of the hotel’s vertiginous views over Central Park ensured the new venture got plenty of press coverage when it officially launched on January 7.

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The $320 million (£195 million) 68-storey building houses a ‘double-decker’ hotel: a 378-room Courtyard by Marriott Central Park from floors six to 33 and a 261-suite Residence Inn by Marriott Central Park occupying floors 37 to 65.

Chic design: The rooms feature a blue-and-white colour scheme and a giant bed that dominates the space

The views from my room on the Residence
Inn’s 51st floor didn’t disappoint. It was night time when I arrived but
I wasted no time in pulling open the curtains on the two wide
floor-to-ceiling windows. The stomach-flipping sight of toy-sized yellow
cabs criss-crossing between the forest of skyscrapers 700 feet below
made me momentarily feel like I'd lost my balance and I instinctively
grabbed hold of the chair in front of me.

On
the left I had perfect views overlooking Central Park and the twinkling
tail lights that course around it. To the right, this beautiful
concrete city was spread out in front of me. If I pressed my face up
against the window I could just catch a glimpse of Times Square’s famous
flashing neon towers.

Big ideas for a tall hotel: William DeBilzan's art work

City on canvas: It took artist William DeBilzan just three months to complete paintings for the hotel

The Courtyard-Residence Inn's walls have been brought to life by William DeBilzan’s impressive murals of the New York skyline.

The renowned artist's work features in the lobby, elevators and five floors of the hotel.

DeBilzan explained that the hotel’s owner, Harry Gross, wandered into his gallery in Florida by chance on a trip to visit his sister-in-law and was impressed by what he saw.

Gross invited DeBilzan to ‘bring some warmth and humanity’ into the hotel and told DeBilzan: ‘I want this hotel to be about your art’.

DeBilzan has also created artwork for the tallest building in the UAE - The Burj Khalifa Tower in Dubai - but said this project was the biggest he has done to date and was the first time he had attempted such large-scale murals.

Gross let DeBilzan have free rein on
the designs, requesting only that the artist tie his work in with each
of the rooms’ colour schemes.

Amazingly, it took him just three months to complete the artwork, which includes vast floor-to-ceiling paintings in the lounges and giant sculptures in the lobby. He also didn’t plan anything in advance: ‘Every painting I do I just start painting - I don’t really think it out. It just develops’, he explained.

His striking murals feature bold colours and textured landscapes, incorporating various materials such as boxes of fabric donated by Gross, who used to be in the garment industry.

They also feature his signature elongated, faceless figures - ‘me being short and fat, it’s my dream’ - which he thinks are particularly fitting for the tallest hotel in northern America.

Around 12 of his paintings feature the Manhattan skyline, along with memorabilia and characters from the city’s history, including baseball player Babe Ruth and Mickey Mouse.

DeBilzan now wants to develop an art scene within the hotel, helping to attract some famous artists to create different shows and host lectures.

Guests will also be able to buy his art work, including small sculptures that will be placed in each of the rooms and selected paintings that will be hung throughout the hotel.

A sign on top of a building outside my
window flashed the temperature in giant orange digits; having displayed a
relatively mild 0C the night before, it was now showing a
finger-numbing -16C.

While contemplating the horror of venturing out in
such bone-chilling temperatures, I couldn’t help but be distracted by the daylight view of Central Park: the city’s huge
rectangular oasis now stripped bare by winter and bathed in the sun’s
deceptive glow.

The weather had been cold enough overnight to freeze some of the hotel’s pipes, which then burst, setting off the fire alarm at 5.30am.

Mr Gross thanked his first guests for ‘braving the Arctic wind’ and joked about the difficulties of getting up and running in such cold weather: ‘Broken pipes, no heat and problems with the elevators. Other than that we are fine.’

On the waterfront: Many of the rooms offer sweeping views of the Hudson River

Private dining: The Courtyard Bistro offers individual 'pods', each with its own TV

Luckily for Mr Gross - whose company G Holdings owns three other hotels in New York - it was the views, not the burst pipes, that were making the headlines.

All the rooms feature full-length windows but only those in the upper price bracket provide those eye-watering views of Central Park, Times Square or the Hudson river.

Prices start at $300 (£183) per room per night, though this shoots up to $700 (£427) during peak times and more than $1,000 (£610) for special events such as New Year’s Eve.

My room was a good size considering Manhattan’s price-per-square-foot and featured a simple blue-and-white colour scheme with bold, patterned carpet, a giant plasma TV and plenty of desk space.

The bed dominated the room and was piled high with more pillows than anyone could possibly need. It was so comfy that I was tempted to enquire about shipping it back to the UK. (The combination of that bed and those views could play havoc with your sightseeing plans.)

The Residence Inn caters for guests
who want to stay five nights or more so each room has a small kitchen
area that includes a coffeemaker, microwave, fridge, freezer and
dishwasher.

It has been
designed so that everything is hidden away apart from the sink and
microwave and kettles have been provided for international visitors
(apparently U.S. guests would rather heat their drinks in the
microwave).

There is complimentary tea, coffee and popcorn but you have to pay for the Voss water shipped all the way from Norway; $6 (£3.70) for a small bottle and $8 (£4.90) for a large bottle. Ouch.

There’s no minibar or room service but there is a free grocery delivery service and a 24-hour snack shop in the lobby, plus a free buffet breakfast on the 3rd floor.

International calls are also free, as is wi-fi (surely it can’t be long before this is standard in all hotels?) and the internet connection is excellent.

Distraction: You may forget you're working up a sweat with views like this in the gym

Exhibitionists should note that some bathrooms have showers with glass walls so most of Manhattan can see you in your birthday suit if you decide not to close the blinds.

The rooms are also blissfully quiet. I didn’t hear a peep from my fellow guests and began to wonder whether I was the only person staying on that floor. The thick windows also blocked out most of the noise from this often frenetic city and I could detect only a hint of the traffic hum below (no doubt helped by the fact that I was so high up).

It isn’t just the rooms that offer a view. Unlike many hotel gyms, which are hidden away in the basement, the Courtyard-Residence Inn hotel’s 24-hour fitness centre is on the 35th floor so guests can admire the skyline while they sweat (one member of staff told me that they've had to hastily order blinds for the evening as they've discovered the sun is blindingly-bright).

The Courtyard Bistro on the 4th floor, like the breakfast room on the 3rd floor, also features the ubiquitous floor-to-ceiling windows, along with funky white armchairs, black swivel chairs and over-sized chunky floor lamps.

The seating has been well thought out - there are tables for big groups, individual ‘pods’ with TVs and a high bench running the length of the windows so that people dining on their own can look down on the city rather than face their fellow guests.

Attractions: The hotel overlooks Central Park and is a few blocks away from the famous Rockefeller Center

The bistro’s menu is currently very limited, consisting mainly of chicken wings, BLTs, cheese burgers and pepperoni pizzas. The only vegetarian options were a three-cheese pizza or hummus and flatbread, but the hotel has promised that it will extend the choice in the future.

What the menu lacked, the staff more than made up for in their enthusiasm, welcoming everyone with fresh-out-the-box smiles and all-American 'can do' customer service. Downstairs in the lobby, an army of receptionists and door staff jumped at the chance to answer queries and suggest places to eat nearby.

Space has also been set aside for a restaurant on the 2nd floor, which is yet to be completed, and a 5th floor lounge and terrace with outdoor seating will offer views over Broadway in the summer.

Of course, winning views aren’t the hotel’s only major selling point; it boasts a prime location just a short stroll from Central Park and Times Square and the bright lights of the Broadway Theater District, while the Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall, the Museum of Modern Art and the exclusive shops of Fifth Avenue are all just a few blocks away.

It is enough of a package to guarantee that the hotel will be around a lot longer than its ‘north America’s tallest’ title.